


I Think He Knows

by dontyoublink



Series: Can we always be this close? [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Damian Wayne Feels, F/M, Fluff, Had to have one at some point, Minor OC - Freeform, Pre-Relationship, Token Wayne Gala
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24823135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontyoublink/pseuds/dontyoublink
Summary: Damian's stuck at a Wayne Gala, but all he really wants is a text from Marinette.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Series: Can we always be this close? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795474
Comments: 30
Kudos: 889





	I Think He Knows

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "I Think He Knows" by Taylor Swift. I've decided to lean into this album as my theme for these works haha.
> 
> Y'all, I am blown away by the response to my first one-shot! I can't believe it! Anyway, turns out comments and kudos were good motivation to spend all my free time at work writing the follow up, so here we are. Enjoy!

Damian adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, scanning the ballroom. As the most personable son, Grayson was helping Bruce greet the last of the guests for the charity gala. Todd was already returning to the snack table for seconds. Drake looked like he was in deep conversation with some of Wayne Enterprise’s business partners.

Usually, he’d be glad that his brothers were leaving him alone, but at events like this it only meant that he’d soon be trapped in an interaction with one of his obnoxious rich peers. It was much easier to ignore them at school, when he wasn’t technically one of the hosts for a high-profile event.

_And speak of the devil_. He spotted one of his classmates heading directly toward him. It was too late to make an unnoticed escape, so Damian sighed and resigned himself to his fate. He adopted a bored look as the other teen reached his side.

“Wayne.”

“Elliot.” Vance Elliot was distantly related to the original Elliot family from Gotham, which made him feel much more important than he actually was. Luckily for Damian, the boy loved the sound of his own voice so much that he could maintain the appearance of listening by nodding and humming in agreement every so often, while actually tuning him out.

As the boy talked, Damian subtly glanced at his phone, hoping to see a text from Marinette that could save him from the ramblings of his classmate. Unfortunately, he had no such luck. Marinette had warned him that she would be busy tonight and unable to text much, but the blank phone screen was still annoying. The worst part was that she had been cagey when he asked what was going to be occupying her time, simply referring to it as an “event” and refusing to divulge any further details.

It had been a surprise the first time Marinette had texted him. They had only hung out once more in Paris after getting ice cream together; she had taken him to see the artists in Place du Tertre, and they exchanged phone numbers when they had decided to briefly split up and examine different artists’ stalls.

A few days later, as he deboarded the plane in Gotham with his brothers after their “business trip” (in truth, a reconnaissance mission investigating rumors of magic users) to Paris, he saw he had a text.

Marinette:

I hope you had a safe flight!

He considered ignoring it, but that thought left a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach for some reason. Before he could second-guess himself, he sent a response.

You:

The only people who were in danger were

my brothers because of their pestering.

Marinette:

😂😂😂Well then, I hope they had a safe flight!

That reply was what convinced Damian to pursue this tentative friendship with a random girl from France. Most people didn’t get his sense of humor—many of them thought he was too serious to even attempt jokes in the first place. But she was different.

Since then, they texted almost every day, despite the time difference. He knew that he couldn’t take credit for it; he didn’t have much experience maintaining friendships, and Marinette was almost always the one who initiated their conversations. He didn’t know if this was her nature or if she was just compensating for him, and he found himself wondering about it more than he’d care to admit.

Their conversations were mostly lighthearted—he hadn’t told her he was a Wayne, she never explained what had happened between her and her classmates that led to the confrontation he witnessed—but he enjoyed it all the same. He especially enjoyed how much it freaked out his brothers that he had a friend outside of the superhero business.

Friend. Damian’s eyebrows furrowed minutely as he mulled over the word. _It still doesn’t feel quite right. Acquaintances? Marinette would fly over here just to kill me if I called her that. Best friends? Jon would kill me for that one. But what else is there? Maybe I should consult—_

“…and the designer said my outfit was one of her favorite creations, of course. Anyway, who is your suit by?”

Damian snapped back to his “conversation” with Elliot in time to catch the question directed toward him. “I’m currently unaware. Father ordered us new suits from a rising star in the fashion world, but he decided to keep their identity a secret,” Damian explained, maintaining the bored tone of voice.

In truth, he had been genuinely impressed by the quality of not only his suit but his brothers’ as well when their father had presented them. He had never paid much attention to fashion, but he could still tell that the clothing was high-end. Not to mention the most comfortable piece of formalwear he had ever donned. And from what he’d absorbed from his conversations with Marinette over the past couple of months, he could tell that the subtle dark green vine designs that ran from his right shoulder to left hip and continued down his leg were hand embroidered.

Before he could go back to ignoring whatever Elliot’s reply would be, Grayson appeared by his side.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Bruce wanted to see us for a minute.” Grayson didn’t provide any of the family’s coded excuses, so Damian knew they weren’t being called away to chase some strange, themed criminal. He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed about that.

He followed Grayson around the room to grab their brothers. Soon, the men were waiting in the spot where Father said he would meet them.

Damian checked his phone again. _Still no messages_. He shoved down a pang of disappointment as he heard his father’s footsteps approaching, followed by a significantly lighter second pair.

“Boys, I’d like you to meet MDC, the designer of your suits,” Bruce stepped to the side, revealing—

“ _Marinette?_ ”

“Dami?” Marinette looked as shocked as he felt.

His brain stopped. She looked like a vision in her muted pink dress, covered with beads that caught the lights all around the ballroom. The fabric ( _tulle,_ a distant part of his brain supplied) was sheer where it covered her arms and lower legs. The whole thing had the appearance of being delicately draped over her frame in the absolute most flattering way. Before he could gather his thoughts, his family butted in.

“I can’t believe we met MDC and _didn’t even know!_ ” Drake nearly screeched, hands clutching his hair.

“I wasn’t aware you knew each other…?” Bruce said, glancing between the teens.

“Marinette’s the girl we met at the park in Paris a few months back. The one whose parents have the awesome bakery, remember?” Grayson explained. Bruce nodded in recognition.

“Wait, you talked about me?” Marinette still seemed dazed as a blush started to form on her cheeks.

“Guys, we’re all focusing on the wrong thing!” Todd interrupted. Damian felt a sense of dread as he saw the look of pure delight on his brother’s face. “‘Dami’?” he questioned, raising his eyebrows.

Damian glared at Marinette. “This is why I told you not to call me that!”

Finally, this brought a smile to Marinette’s face. “Sorry,” she said, looking anything but. Just as quickly as the smile came, though, it dropped, and her eyes widened. “ _Mon dieu_ , you’re the Waynes. You’re the Waynes and you’re wearing my suits.”

Whirling on Damian, she stuttered. “You-you didn’t tell me!”

“It never came up.” He crossed his arms and looked to the side, scowling. He could see her face growing redder in his peripherals.

“Hold up, when would Demon Spawn have told you?” Todd asked.

Before Damian could come up with a proper response that would _get them off his back, dammit_ , Drake lit up.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Damian gave him his best _shut-up-and-die_ glare, but he continued. “She’s your secret friend who you text all the time but _refuse_ to talk about!”

Grayson’s eyes gleamed as he cooed, “Aww Dami, that’s so cute!” Todd just doubled over laughing.

“That’s enough,” Bruce said firmly. “We have guests to entertain.” A small smile came to his face. “After all, I’m sure these two would appreciate some time together.” Marinette spluttered as his brothers laughed even harder before walking off.

“Traitor,” he hissed at his father as he walked by. Bruce simply responded with a pat on the shoulder.

He turned back to Marinette, suddenly aware of how hot his face was. She had her head in her hands.

“I, um…” At the sound of his voice she snapped her head up, making eye contact with him, which caused him to lose his train of thought. “Do you—would you like to go to the snack table?” he finally said stiffly.

“Yes!” she squeaked.

* * *

They were sitting at a table, nibbling on some food after their surprise reunion. Neither had spoken a word since they got there, and Damian was wracking his brain to find a way to break the increasingly awkward silence.

“So, this was the event you wouldn’t tell me about.” He cringed as soon as the sentence left his mouth, knowing it sounded harsher than he meant it.

“I’m sorry,” Marinette replied, fidgeting with her sleeves. “Not many people know I’m MDC, so I try not to talk about it too much, but I’m sure you must’ve been frustrated with me for keeping it a secret, and I don’t blame you if you’re mad—”

“Marinette.” Damian cut off her rambling and frowned when she flinched. He thought back to that day in Paris, when her former friends demanded to know what she was doing with him, and knew that he needed to choose his words carefully.

“I’m not mad,” he started slowly. She looked up, eyes wide. “Yes, I wanted to know, but you’re allowed to keep secrets from people or not give them information about yourself, even if the reason is that you just don’t want to. That includes me. I simply meant that it’s ironic that the event you didn’t tell me about was the one my family is hosting.”

She blinked a couple of times, and then tears started welling up in her eyes.

“Shit,” he said, alarmed. “What did I—”

“No, no,” she interrupted with a watery chuckle. “You didn’t say anything wrong. Actually, it was quite the opposite.” She carefully wiped her eyes, making sure not to smudge her makeup. “There used to be a lot of people in my li-life…”

Her voice cracked, and without thinking Damian reached over and placed his hand on top of one of hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. She squeezed his back, took a fortifying breath, and continued.

“They always got upset when I wouldn’t or couldn’t tell them something. They would also push me to share things, even when it made me uncomfortable.” A bittersweet smile came to her face. “My friends now are amazing and would never do that, but sometimes it’s hard to remember that I can say ‘no.’”

“I’m sorry you had to experience that,” Damian replied. “I promise not to knowingly push your boundaries. And if I do, you have permission to beat me up.”

He couldn’t help smiling as Marinette let out a genuine laugh. “Oh, I wouldn’t need to beat you up. I would just sic my uncle’s crocodile on you,” she said with feigned casualty.

His eyebrows shot up. “Your uncle has a crocodile?”

She flashed him the smirk he remembered from the park, the one that made his stomach feel weird. “Oh, didn’t I mention? I’m here with my honorary uncle and aunt, Jagged Stone and Penny, his wife. We had to leave Fang at the hotel, though. Probably would’ve scared some guests.”

“Jagged Stone is here?” Damian rolled his eyes. “Then it’s only a matter of time before Drake makes a fool of himself. He’s a _huge_ fan.”

Suddenly, they heard a high-pitched squeal from their right. They turned to look and sure enough, there was Drake, clutching an autographed napkin and staring at Jagged and Penny with stars in his eyes.

“Well Tim, it was rockin’ to meet ya,” they heard Jagged say, “but we gotta find our niece.”

Penny, who had already spotted them, got Jagged’s attention and pointed at them. He wasted no time barreling his way through the crowd.

“Marinette!” he cried “There you are!” As he came to a stop by their table he glanced down and seemed to catch sight of something. “And _who_ is your _friend_?” He added in a singsong voice.

The teens followed his gaze and saw that they were still holding hands. They immediately let go, and Damian cleared his throat as he stood, ignoring the heat on his cheeks.

“I'm Damian Wayne,” he said, holding out a hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you. And you hope you've enjoyed your time here so far.”

The rock star examined him for a moment before grabbing his hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “I like this one Mari! He's got some manners!” Jagged turned back to him “But if you ever hurt her—"

“Uncle Jagged, you don't have to threaten him!” Marinette cried from where she was hugging Penny.

Damian nodded solemnly. “I already agreed to let her feed me to the crocodile if I do so.”

Jagged laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man!”

Penny spoke up. “Jagged, we should probably continue mingling. Let's leave the kids to their fun.” Before her husband could protest, she turned to Damian, eyes twinkling. “It was nice to meet you, Damian. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you in the future.”

“Aunt Penny, not you too!” Marinette groaned as the couple walked off laughing.

* * *

An hour or so later saw the teens chatting about what had happened since they last talked. Marinette was currently explaining the struggles of flying with a crocodile, but Damian could barely pay attention as he tried to figure out a way to ask her to dance without sounding like a complete imbecile.

_‘Marinette, I would like to help you show off your dress by—' no, that sounds like a business proposal. ‘Marinette, I can't stop wondering if you'd be as graceful dancing as you were playing frisbee—' definitely not, that sounds borderline stalkerish. ‘Marinette, I want to know what it feels like to hold—'_

“Damian?”

Only his years of training kept him from jumping in his seat when she called his name. Focusing back on her, he saw a concerned look on her face. “Are you okay? You kinda zoned out for a minute there.”

Damian _meant_ to reassure her that he was fine, but what came out of his mouth was, “Do you want to dance?” _Great, so much for not sounding like a moron_.

Even as his nerves spiked, he couldn't look away from her. She was impassive for a moment, before breaking into a shy smile that made his heart skip a beat. “Sure, Dami, I'd love to dance.”

Somehow, he managed to offer his hand and lead her out to join the couples on the dance floor without incident. As he placed his free hand on her waist and she rested hers on his shoulder, she bit her lip nervously. “I've been to a few parties with Uncle Jagged before, but I still don't know all the fancy rich people dances.”

If she were anyone else, he would scoff and make a comment about his superiority. (If she were anyone else, he wouldn't have even asked her to dance.) Instead, he gave her what he hoped was a comforting smile. “Don't worry, we can keep it simple. Just follow my lead.”

“Okay,” she whispered, staring into his eyes. The moment felt a lot more profound than it had any right to, in Damian’s opinion, as they started to sway.

All of a sudden, she buried her head in his chest and let out a whine. He stared at the top of her head, brows furrowed in confusion. “Marinette?”

“Uncle Jagged’s taking pictures,” she mumbled.

He was about to tease her when he glanced up and saw all three of his brothers with their phones out. When they made eye contact with him, they grinned and gave him a thumbs-up in synchrony. He scowled briefly before electing to focus back on Marinette. “Well, my dimwit brothers are recording us, so I'd say we're even.”

As she let out a giggle that he felt more than heard, he realized why “friend” never felt like the right word for her. _I don't want us to only be friends_. He tightened his arm around her unconsciously, slipping his hand from her waist to her back. She didn't resist.

_Well, shit_.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m curious how many people guessed Damian would realize he has ~feelings~ based on the title lol.
> 
> The [Elliot Family](https://crusadapedia.fandom.com/wiki/First_Families_of_Gotham) was one of the five most powerful families in Gotham way back. One of the descendants, [Tommy Elliot](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_Elliot_\(New_Earth\)), became the villain Hush, featured in a (very good) Batman story arc of the same name.
> 
> [Place du Tertre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_du_Tertre) is a square in Montmartre where a bunch of famous artists hung out. Today, artists rent spaces and sell art there. I have a super cute painting of the Eiffel Tower that I bought there years ago!
> 
> I imagine Damian’s suit as [this](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1P7gdKpXXXXaEXFXXq6xXFXXX1/Plus-Size-high-quality-Vintage-Medieval-White-Embroidered-with-diamonds-stage-performance-singer-Suit-Blazer-Costumes.jpg) but black with much more subtle green details. So, not a lot like this but it was the closest I could find!
> 
> Marinette’s dress is [this](https://www.teutamatoshi.com/collections/spring-21/products/pink-mimosa-beaded-gown) exactly. It’s perfect.
> 
> Who are some of your favorite [Batman rogues](https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Batman_Rogues_Gallery) with stupid themes? I personally love [The Eraser](https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/The_Eraser) and [Polka-Dot Man](https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Polka-Dot_Man).


End file.
